Man shot in head at Palmer home, survives; suspect in custody

A Palmer man was charged with attempted murder, Alaska State Troopers say, after he shot a man in the head with a rifle and threatened another person with the weapon Saturday.

Court records show 18-year-old Michael Armstrong also charged with three additional felonies, including first-degree and third-degree assault as well as tampering with physical evidence.

In a dispatch issued late Saturday, troopers said they received a report of the shooting, at a Palmer home on the Old Glenn Highway, at about 1:40 p.m. Saturday.

"It was reported that a 35-year-old male was shot in the head, and the shooter fled in a vehicle," troopers wrote. "The male was transported by (emergency medical services) and is in critical but stable condition."

Armstrong was arrested after troopers made a traffic stop on the vehicle that had left the home.

"AST recovered the rifle reported to have been used in the shooting from the woods, where Michael hid it after the shooting," troopers wrote. "It was reported that Michael also threatened to shoot a woman at the residence."

Armstrong was taken to the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility, where he was held without bail.